Foo Fighters announces tribute concerts for late drummer Taylor Hawkins

June 10, 2022 | 12:03 am

LONDON — American rock band Foo Fighters will play two tribute concerts for their late drummer Taylor Hawkins, taking to the stage in London and Los Angeles in September, the group said on Wednesday.

Mr. Hawkins, 50, died unexpectedly in late March in a Bogota hotel during the group’s South American tour, the rest of which was subsequently canceled.

The concerts, which will take place at London’s Wembley Stadium on Sept. 3 and Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on Sept. 27, will be the first Foo Fighters live performances since Mr. Hawkins’ death.

“For our dear friend, our badass bandmate, our beloved brother… Foo Fighters and The Hawkins family bring you the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts,” the band said in a post on Twitter, announcing the gigs.

It also shared a statement from Mr. Hawkins’ wife Alison, who thanked fans for their support.

At the time of Mr. Hawkins’ death, Colombia’s Attorney General said an initial analysis including toxicological tests had found 10 types of substances, including THC found in marijuana, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opioids. It did not give a cause of death or say what volume of substances had been found in the analysis. It said it would continue with its investigation.

In a statement, the band said the tribute concerts would also feature music artists who had inspired Mr. Hawkins, and together with the group they would perform “the songs that he fell in love with, and the ones he brought to life.”

Foo Fighters was founded in 1994 by Dave Grohl, the drummer for grunge band Nirvana, following the death of Nirvana’s lead singer Kurt Cobain. Mr. Hawkins joined in 1997.

The group has won 15 Grammy Awards, the last three this year shortly after Mr. Hawkins’ death. — Reuters

Qantas is so stretched it needs office staff to work as ground crew

June 10, 2022 | 12:03 am

AUSTRALIA’s Qantas Airways Ltd. is appealing to head-office employees to help the airline’s overworked ground handling staff as the pandemic-hit sector struggles to cope with a rebound in air travel.

Workers at the headquarters of Sydney-based Qantas and its Melbourne-based low-cost airline Jetstar have been asked to step in and assist during the peak July vacation period, according to an internal e-mail sent by Jetstar’s airport operations.

“We need your help,” the note says, describing the operation as the “Airports Peak Contingency Plan.”

Operations in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are the most stretched, though office staff could be deployed anywhere, according to the memo. Workers might have to track down lost baggage, hand out water to queuing passengers or speed travelers through security if they’re running late.

Around the world, from the US to Europe and Australia, there’s been mayhem as a stronger-than-expected recovery in passenger traffic overwhelms airlines and airports. After laying off thousands of pilots, flight crew, ground handlers and other staff during the pandemic, the aviation industry now can’t hire fast enough as families and friends reunite.

A similar appeal by Qantas for help during the Easter holiday period drummed up about 200 head-office volunteers, according to a representative at the airline. Air passenger traffic in Australia is almost back to pre-Covid levels, the competition regulator said on Wednesday. — Bloomberg

DBP extends P1.125-B loan to Pampanga hospital

June 10, 2022 | 12:03 am

DEVELOPMENT BANK of the Philippines (DBP) has extended a P1.125-billion loan to help finance the Marquee Doctors Medical Center, Inc. (MDMCI) in Pampanga, it said in a statement on Thursday.

DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel G. Herbosa said the loan will be used to construct the eight-story hospital and to acquire other hospital machinery and equipment. The DBP’s board of directors approved the loan for the hospital in October 2021.

After construction, the MDMCI is seen to be a 200-bed Level 2 hospital, and is expected to serve the 411,000 residents of Angeles City and nearby towns.

“As the country’s premiere infrastructure bank, DBP has been extending essential financing to both private and public health care enterprises to ensure their sustained and viable operations as they endeavor to provide better medical services to the people,” Mr. Herbosa said.

A Level 2 hospital offers departmentalized clinical services, a respiratory unit, a general intensive care unit (ICU), a newborn ICU, a high-risk pregnancy unit, and a dental clinic in addition to Level 1 capabilities like consulting specialists, emergency and outpatient services, and isolation, surgical and maternity facilities.

DBP Senior Vice- President for Development Lending Paul D. Lazaro said the loan granted to MDMCI was under the bank’s Strategic Healthcare Investment for Enhanced Lending and Development Program (SHIELD), which is the state-run bank’s flagship program for the health sector.

He added that as of end-December 2021, over P31 billion had been approved for 126 accounts under SHIELD, which aims to finance investments in the healthcare sector and improve health coverage.

“DBP will continue to be a more focused catalyst towards an improved healthcare system in the country that is more responsive, accessible and affordable especially to Filipinos in underserved and remote areas,” Mr. Lazaro added.

DBP is the fifth-largest bank in the country in terms of assets and helps finance the sectors of infrastructure, micro, small and medium enterprises, the environment, social services and community development.

The state-run lender’s net income as of Sept. 31, 2021 was at P1.93 billion, based on latest available data. In 2020, DBP booked a net profit of P3.9 billion, down by 30.4% year on year, amid higher credit loss provisions and operating expenses. — T.J. Tomas

Gonzales eyes first table tennis gold in Cambodia SEAG

June 10, 2022 | 12:03 am

ttennis_philippine-table-tennis-federation — RICHARD GONZALES and John Russell Misal with PTTF chief Ting Ledesma — PHILIPPINE TABLE TENNIS FEDERATION

AT 51 years old, Richard Gonzales isn’t done playing for the national team just yet.

In fact, the Filipino table tennis living legend is eyeing nothing less than delivering the country’s first ever Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) gold medal in this year’s edition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

“I can still do it,” said Mr. Gonzales during an interview in the Philippine Sports Commission’s online People, Sports, Conversations show on Thursday. “And with your prayers and support, we will try to win the gold in Cambodia.”

Mr. Gonzales earned his outright spot to the Phnom Penh-bound national team along with John Russel Misal after the duo delivered a silver in last month’s Hanoi SEA Games.

And it could have been a gold — the country’s first in its SEA Games participation in the sport — had Messrs. Gonzales and Misal held on to set point in the fourth game and force a deciding fifth game where momentum would surely be on their side.

It wasn’t meant to be, though.

“We felt if we took that fourth set, we would have gotten momentum and win the gold,” Mr. Misal, a former UAAP MVP, said for his part.

Philippine Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) president Ting Ledesma said they will hold a national team selection for the eight remaining spots to the Cambodia-bound squad — five females and three males.

“John Russel and Mr. Richard are assured of their spot to the SEA Games. The rest will have to compete for the remaining eight slots to the team,” said Mr. Ledesma. — Joey Villar

SEC expands online payment system

June 10, 2022 | 12:03 am

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on Thursday that it has added new options for its online payment system.

The commission said that this would make payments for registration and transaction fees “faster and more convenient for the public.”

GCash payment wallets can now be used to settle registration and transaction fees and penalties through the Electronic System for Payments to the SEC (eSPAYSEC).

“It has only been a year since we rolled out the eSPAYSEC, but it has already become a preferred payment option for the transacting public because of the convenience and security it offers,” SEC Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino said in a statement.

“This is proof of the public’s readiness to adapt to digital solutions when they are available, and strengthens the Commission’s commitment to its digital transformation initiatives to improve the ease of doing business for Filipinos,” he added.

To use GCash, clients only need to enter the reference number provided in the Payment Assessment Form issued by the SEC, select GCash as their payment option, then provide the required information. Each transaction charges a convenience fee of P10.

Other online payment channels that are accepted by eSPAYSEC include debit and credit cards powered by Visa, Mastercard and JCB, as well as PayMaya wallets.

The eSPAYSEC was launched in March 2021 as a web-based system that allows for the online payment of fees and penalties to the commission using debit and credit cards, digital wallets, and other cashless payment options.

As of June 8, the online payment portal has accepted payments for fees and penalties amounting to P202.32 million from a total of 29,565 transactions. Of the total, P99.57 million was recorded in 2022. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

US says convicted R&B singer R. Kelly deserves more than 25 years in prison

June 10, 2022 | 12:02 am

RKElly [Nicholas Ballasy-WikipediA] — R&B singer R. Kelly — NICHOLAS BALLASY/WIKIPEDIA

NEW YORK — US prosecutors on Wednesday said the multiplatinum R&B singer R. Kelly deserves to spend more than 25 years in prison after being convicted of sex trafficking.

In a filing in Brooklyn federal court, prosecutors said Kelly exploited his stardom and wealth over a quarter century to lure women and underage girls for sex, demonstrating a “callous disregard” for his victims and showing no remorse.

“Indeed, the defendant’s decades of crime appear to have been fueled by narcissism and a belief that his musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct — no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to others — to the strictures of the law,” prosecutors said.

Kelly, 55, who has been jailed since 2019, remains a “serious danger” to the public, justifying keeping him behind bars until well into his 70s, prosecutors added.

Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer for Mr. Kelly, has said he should spend fewer than 14 years in prison, and will in a filing next Monday explain why his “history and characteristics” justify a shorter sentence.

Ms. Bonjean’s office declined to comment.

Mr. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces a minimum 10-year term at his June 29 sentencing.

He is among the most prominent people convicted of sexual misbehavior during the #MeToo movement against such conduct by prominent men.

Mr. Kelly’s 5-1/2 week trial amplified accusations that had dogged him since the early 2000s.

Testimony from 45 government witnesses, including several of Mr. Kelly’s abuse victims, portrayed in often graphic detail an unseemly side to a music career highlighted by the 1996 Grammy-winning smash “I Believe I Can Fly.”

Witnesses said Mr. Kelly would demand that his victims strictly obey rules such as needing his permission to eat or go to the bathroom, calling him “Daddy,” and writing “apology letters” that purported to absolve him of wrongdoing.

“The defendant severely physically and psychologically scarred all of his victims repeatedly and consistently,” prosecutors said. “The government has little doubt that if afforded an opportunity to offend again, the defendant would.”

Much of the case turned on accusations related to six women.

They included the singer Aaliyah, who prosecutors said Mr. Kelly fraudulently married when she was 15 to conceal abuse from when she was 12 or 13. Aaliyah died in 2001.

Jurors needed a little over a day to convict Mr. Kelly last Sept. 27 on all nine counts he faced.

The charges included racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting people across state lines for prostitution.

Mr. Kelly has repeatedly denied sexual abuse accusations. He also faces federal charges in Chicago on child pornography and obstruction, and state charges in Illinois and Minnesota. — Reuters

Shift to flexible work gives boost to London landlord Workspace

June 10, 2022 | 12:02 am

DEMAND for flexible office space in London is back to pre-pandemic levels as employees return to the workplace and companies adapt their real estate strategies for an era of hybrid working.

Workspace Group Plc, a London office landlord that offers flexible leases, reported occupancy of almost 90% at the end of March, an increase of 7.8% from a year earlier. That’s roughly in line with the company’s occupancy for the same period in 2019, before the pandemic struck.

“Our focus over the past year has been to support our customers’ return to the office, rebuild like-for-like occupancy back to 90% and drive trading profit growth,” Chief Executive Officer Graham Clemett said in a statement on Wednesday. “Customers want their office space to be as flexible as their working habits.”

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated a shift toward flexible leases as companies adjust their office footprints to take account of evolving working patterns. While London has seen a steady recovery in the number of people returning to the office, building occupancy remains down on pre-pandemic levels as more employees work from home at least part of the week.

The demand for more flexible space lifted Workspace rental income by 6.4%, contributing to a return to profitability. The company reported a pre-tax profit of £124 million ($156 million) for the year through to the end of March, up from a £235.7 million loss a year earlier. — Bloomberg

Philippine trade year-on-year performance

June 10, 2022 | 12:02 am

THE PHILIPPINES’ April trade deficit narrowed month on month to $4.8 billion, as exports slightly picked up and imports grew at their slowest pace in 13 months amid the Russia-Ukraine war and supply chain disruptions. Read the full story.

Revitalizing alliances to address competition

June 10, 2022 | 12:02 am

WASHINGTON, DC-based Center for New American Security (CNAS) recently released a report on the current state of US-Philippine relations amid intensifying strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region. The think tank has formed a task force to assess the security alliance between the Philippines and America.

“China’s growing military and economic power, along with its increasingly aggressive behavior regarding Taiwan and its territorial claims in the South China Sea, is putting stress on the rules-based order in the region,” the CNAS report said. It cites our deep historical and cultural ties, including the significant Fil-Am community, as well as our archipelago’s strategic position in the “first island chain” as factors that make the 75-year alliance between our two countries critically important.

CNAS advised policy makers that they should seek to reinvigorate this critical alliance amid Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s rise to power “following a six-year period marked by turbulence and volatility.” Among its recommendations is the conduct of multilateral security dialogues with countries like Japan and Australia in congruence with US President Joe Biden’s goals of achieving greater integrated deterrence by bringing the Philippines into discussions with key allies.

Another suggestion is to establish American consulates general in Cebu and Davao, where both China and Japan maintain such diplomatic offices. This is in line with the White House’s Indo-Pacific strategy and would facilitate not only closer people-to-people ties but also more effective strategic communication.

How would Mr. Marcos react if trilateral dialogues will be instituted between America’s allies to come up with a common stand on the West Philippine Sea issue? To some extent, it would depend on who the incoming secretaries of national defense and foreign affairs shall be. Abangan!

LOST IN TRANSITION
With just 20 days to go before the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte steps down, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has not given the green light for the installation of mobile betting systems in its popular lotto games. As a result, the “MobiLotto” project of a Filipino-Chinese joint venture is now in limbo.

This consortium made up of SmartInfo Philippines and China LotSynergy Enterprises was not able to obtain an injunction from the Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court (RTC) that would have compelled the state-owned charitable institution to implement the integrated sales agency agreement (ISAA) that allows mobile betting for PCSO’s lotto games. According to career officials of the agency, the ISAA was signed by the incumbent chairman without prior board approval, while the legal department warned the agency’s officers against implementing the contract due to technical and legal issues.

Neither did the RTC issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the PCSO. The judge handling the case has reportedly gone on leave, and the executive judge reassigned it instead to a newly appointed judge. Apparently, it is a tradition in the judiciary not to issue TROs during the transition between outgoing and incoming administrations.

As political appointees, members of the PCSO’s board of directors are coterminous with Mr. Duterte and their terms will also expire on June 30. Thus, they should focus at this time on the ongoing turnover to their successors, under whose watch those issues can be resolved.

Business decision makers are currently maintaining a wait-and-see attitude with regard to the next administration’s policy-making quality. Nominees for many Cabinet and major line agency positions have yet to be announced. They will be crucial in running the government over the next six years, and thus, the business community is waiting with bated breath to find out who they are.

J. Albert Gamboa is the chief finance officer of Asian Center for Legal Excellence and chairman of the FINEX Media Affairs Committee. The opinion expressed herein does not necessarily reflect the views of these institutions and BusinessWorld. #FinexPhils www.finex.org.ph

PSC’s Rise Up! Shape Up! promotes injury prevention in sports

June 10, 2022 | 12:02 am

WHILE the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) encourages people of all ages to take up sports and be active, the agency highly encourages everyone to ensure that no injuries will be sustained in the process.

In line with this, PSC’s web series Rise Up! Shape Up! will demonstrate some basic warm-up exercises in a special webisode on Saturday, June 11 featuring professors Emman Papa and Michaela Angela Sales, both from the University of the Philippines-College of Human Kinetics. The two will share kid-friendly whole-body warm-ups and stretches.

“Proper warm-ups and stretches will increase blood flow in the muscles and loosen joints a bit to prevent tears or bad twists when we exercise. This is especially needed in kids because they are still learning how to do proper form when exercising,” PSC Women in Sports Commissioner oversight Celia H. Kiram said.

“While kids will not likely associate play with exercise, playing is a physical activity that allows them to move and use their muscles, and there is still a risk of injury. Since play is significant in a child’s growth, we want them to enjoy playing as a physical activity but free from injury,” added Ms. Kiram who will also talk about play and playground in the “K-Isport” segment.

Joining the program is Cagayan State University College of Human Kinetics Professor Darwin Robin Tuliao who will share some safety gears for kids that can help prevent injuries.

PSC’s Rise Up! Shape Up! is streaming live on Facebook and YouTube on Saturdays and Sundays at 7 p.m.

Meralco, Ayala Land partner for a stable power in Vermosa area

June 10, 2022 | 12:02 am

MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco) has started building a new substation at the Vermosa estate in Imus, Cavite that is aimed at ensuring reliable electricity service within the Ayala Land, Inc. project.

“This project is part of Meralco’s thrust to serve its customers, more so in planning all facilities requirements, which we can ramp up and forecast according to projected turnover, during the master planning stages,” said Ferdinand O. Geluz, Meralco first vice-president and head of customer retail services.

The 115 kilovolt (kV)-34.5kV substation will be located within Vermosa, a 725-hectare mixed use development along Daang Hari Road. It will house three transformer banks, each capable of generating 83 megavolt amperes (MVA) of power or a combined capacity of 249 MVA.

“This is a critical step to enhance the delivery of electricity services and ensure reliable power across all end users,” Mr. Geluz said.

Jay Teodoro, who heads Vermosa estate, said the partnership would make the project “move-in ready” with its own Meralco substation.

“For several years, we have worked hand in hand with Meralco in the master planning of our estates, offering key utilities to residents, locators and visitors,” he said.

The substation is set for full operations by December 2022. It will provide adequate capacity to accommodate new and additional load applications in the area. It will guarantee a smooth flow of electricity for Vermosa’s residential customers as well as its commercial and industrial accounts.

Meralco said having the substation “will guarantee operational switching flexibility” during contingencies and improve voltage regulation for Vermosa’s locators as well as peripheral developments in Imus.

Ronnie L. Aperocho, Meralco senior vice-president and head of networks, said the power provider is encouraging developers to work closely with it at the early stages of their planning.

“We are committed to provide the energy infrastructure to meet the projected growth of new communities, not just for timely energization, but to have the right facilities to meet their needs,” he said.

Vermosa, the fourth-largest estate of Ayala Land, is masterplanned to offer mixed-use components, including a range of horizontal residential options, a regional mall, a central business district, educational institutions, and leisure establishments.

Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.

Jurors shown video of Cosby denying Playboy Mansion assault claim

June 10, 2022 | 12:01 am

A publicity still of Bill Cosby from the 1980s highly successful television comedy series The Cosby Show. — IMDB.COM

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Comedian Bill Cosby denied a California woman’s claim that he sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in the mid-1970s in a recorded deposition shown on Wednesday to a jury considering one of the last legal cases against him.

Judy Huth, who is seeking unspecified damages in a civil lawsuit she filed in 2014, has testified that Mr. Cosby forced her to perform a sex act at the mansion when she was a teenager.

On Wednesday, jurors were shown a roughly 10-minute video that showed clips of Mr. Cosby answering questions from one of Huth’s attorneys during a deposition in 2015.

Mr. Cosby answered “no” to questions about whether he tried to put his hands down Ms. Huth’s pants and then took her hand and used it to masturbate, as she alleges.

He acknowledged that he would bring guests to the mansion but said he does not remember Ms. Huth or the friend who said she accompanied her that night.

“I don’t know Ms. Huth,” he said.

Asked if Ms. Huth’s account could have been accurate but Mr. Cosby had forgotten the incident, he said that was not possible because “this young lady is saying that she told me she was 15.”

Mr. Cosby, now 84, said he never pursued sexual contact with anyone he knew was under 18. He is not expected to attend the trial in person.

In cross-examination of Ms. Huth, Mr. Cosby attorney Jennifer Bonjean challenged her account, including her revised timeline.

When the lawsuit was filed in December 2014, Ms. Huth said the incident occurred in 1974, when she was 15. She testified this week that she recently concluded that she had been mistaken about the year and now believes it happened in 1975.

Ms. Bonjean pressed Ms. Huth on Wednesday about past traumas in her life and antidepressant use, suggesting any emotional distress she suffered was unrelated to her time with Mr. Cosby.

Ms. Huth, now 64, testified that she was abused by a former partner and was a passenger in a car accident that left five people in another vehicle dead.

But she said her interaction with Mr. Cosby had the most impact. “Nothing as bad as that, that’s for sure,” Ms. Huth said.

The civil trial in California is taking place 11 months after Mr. Cosby was freed from prison when Pennsylvania’s highest court threw out his sexual assault conviction in a different case.

Mr. Cosby is best known for his role as the lovable husband and father in the 1980s television comedy series The Cosby Show, earning him the nickname “America’s Dad.”

But his family-friendly reputation was shattered after more than 50 women accused him of sexual assaults over nearly five decades. — Reuters